‘Very well. Whom do you have in mind?’
‘There’s only one I’d feel has both reason and desire for the position.’
‘Beresford?’
‘Just so. An ambitious brigadier general, twice thwarted of glory in Cape Town – at Saldanha and with Janssens’s hasty surrender – and destined to rot unless he can find himself some other adventure.’
Tall and commanding, Beresford’s figure was always prominent in social events at the castle. He still basked in the reputation he had won in a forced march across the desert with Baird from the Red Sea to the Nile, which had resulted in the defeat of the French Army abandoned by Napoleon. And in which the unknown sloop commander, Kydd, had played his small part.
Was this sufficient grounds to strike up an acquaintance with the general, become comradely enough to impart confidences of such giddy import? He felt a jet of nervousness at the thought, for social manoeuvring did not come easily to him. ‘I’ll, um, see what I can do,’ he said cautiously.
‘No need to make an immediate approach,’ Popham said pleasantly, ‘as the initial objective has first to succeed.’
‘Being?’
‘I think it proper that my captains should be made acquainted with what we plan at the outset. We carry them with us, and our approach to Sir David will be that much the easier, particularly since by your golden words his colleague General Beresford will stand persuaded of the necessity of a descent at this time.’
Kydd was beginning to feel out of his depth, but he also knew that in a post-captain such skills were requisite if he was going to progress in his profession. ‘They’ll need some convincing,’ he said, as heartily as he could, ‘evidence of our military resources as will have them satisfied in every particular of the enterprise.’
‘Exactly. So – to work. These papers list our assets and an appreciation of what we face across the Atlantic. You shall be a captain and I shall rehearse on you what will be presented. Then I beg you will say whether or no you are decided.’
‘Well, I’m ready for you, Dasher.’
Popham leaned forward. ‘This is no triviality I’ll have you know, my dear Kydd,’ he said gravely. ‘If you are not agreeable in any wise, for any reason, I shall not proceed. That is, the whole venture to be called off – abandoned. I will not risk men’s lives unless there is good prospect of success. You understand?’
It was unfair: he was being put in a position where his word would be enough to destroy a daring and far-sighted stroke against the enemy – or to send men to their deaths. But then again, wasn’t Popham being scrupulous in his planning, getting a second opinion such that if it went against him the world would never hear of it again?
‘I do. Be certain you’ll hear from me should I feel to the contrary.’
‘Stout fellow! Then shall we begin?’
Popham had pleaded ignorance of military affairs but, if this was the case, it didn’t show to Kydd. Perhaps it was his experience of the Cape Town expedition or even the previous Red Sea joint operation but he certainly seemed perfectly at home dealing with forage for horses, biscuits and rum for the troops and second-run stores for the follow-up, as well as the joint administrative structures to be set up.
Numbers were demonstrably inferior, but Kydd had seen the Highlanders in action. And when Popham produced his trump card, he found it hard not to applaud. It was to formalise what had worked so well at Blaauwberg: that the invading ships would each contribute a proportion of their seamen and marines to form a sea battalion that would increase their effectives by a considerable margin.
‘Considering we have only to make a show against the Spanish, and the natives will flock to our banners, it should suffice,’ Popham said.
‘I hope you’ve something more interesting for us than last time, old bean,’ complained Donnelly of Narcissus. ‘I’ve an important appointment ashore, an’ she won’t wait.’
Popham ignored the gibe from the senior frigate captain and waited for the meeting to settle. At the other end of the elegant table in the flagship’s great cabin sat Kydd, studiously blank-faced, along with the men commanding the other ships of consequence, in all the totality of the rated vessels in his fleet.
‘I’ve called you here for one purpose only. That is to seek your advice.’
This brought immediate attention, for not only was Popham not given to asking what to do but in a flag-officer it was unprecedented.
‘Whatever we can do, sir,’ Downman said loyally. The others kept a wary silence.
‘Then it is in this matter.’ Glancing at each man individually, his manner confiding, persuasive and convincing, he spoke slowly: ‘I’ve recently had an extraordinary intelligence that reveals the Spanish have left their province at the River Plate completely unguarded, sailing as they have done to quell unrest in the north of the country and leaving contemptible forces only to guard Montevideo. Understanding that the French squadrons are now no longer threatening, that Trafalgar has robbed the Spanish of any means to contest us at sea and that we still retain most of the same fleet that succeeded so nobly here at Cape Town – then how absurd would it be to consider a sudden descent on the viceroyalty to achieve a famous victory, one that could well knock the Spanish out of the war?’
There was a stupefied silence, then a sudden eruption of astonished talk.
‘Gentlemen, gentlemen! One at a time, please!’ Like a kindly vicar smiling benevolently on his flock, he allowed the excitement to subside, then calmly said, ‘Captain Donnelly?’
‘This is madness!’ he spluttered. ‘Are you proposing an invasion of South America? To attack-’
‘No, sir, I am not proposing anything. I’m merely asking your advice, your views, if you will. And never an invasion. If anything, conceivably the suggestion of some species of move against Montevideo, perhaps to hold it for a space until reinforcements arrive. You see, there is an opportunity – a rare conjunction of conditions – that make it feasible to consider the detaching of the Spanish colonies simply by encouraging rebellion among the indigenes. As you may apprehend, they will never hold their possessions against revolt from within while attacked from without.’
‘I see,’ Byng said, in dawning realisation. ‘This is by way of a gesture against the Spanish, giving heart to the natives to throw off the yoke and so forth. I like it. A lot gained for little risked.’
‘And what precisely will this adventure secure to the advantage of the Crown?’ Donnelly sniffed. ‘If this has any chance of being set afoot, that should be known to us in advance.’
‘Don’t be an ass, Richard,’ Byng said scornfully. ‘Think it to be a hundred – a thousand times bigger than Cape Colony! Under our enlightened rule we show free trade, encourage the market and there we go – a river of gold from selling our manufactures into the place and another from trading, er, whatever they grow to the rest of the world.’ He blinked. ‘Sure to be something or other . . .’
‘So we’re to acquire another continent for our empire? We lost the last American one by grievously underestimating the costs of such, and foisting them on the colonists, who then loudly objected and threw us out,’ Donnelly said contemptuously.
Downman came in quickly: ‘As you’ve no imagination, Richard. Aren’t you overlooking one thing? The Spanish have been shipping out millions in silver every year since they made conquest. I dare to say that in our hands it will see the administration well served in the article of costs.’
‘And, o’ course, at this moment that silver goes into Boney’s coffers to pay for his war,’ Kydd said enthusiastically. ‘We have a chance to put an end to it.’ There were slow nods around the table as the implications of both sank in.
Popham resumed: ‘Supposing us to be interested, I’ve drawn up some simple lists as will show the relative military strengths, which, I’m obliged to observe, do favour us in the details.’ He passed them around.